December 24, 2007

Foreign athletes famished for Chinese food may find their appetites are not satisfied in the Olympic Village during next year's Games, according to a menu distributed by the organizer.

Asian-style food including Chinese, Japanese and Korean dishes would together account for 30 percent of the menu designed for athletes in the Olympic Village," said Xiang Ping, deputy director in charge of the Games Service Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG).

She said that a preliminary menu had been drawn up and sent for expert appraisal, with results expected next month. "Western food will comprise most of the menu," she said.She did not disclose whether the famous Beijing roasted duck or Kung Pao Chicken (diced chicken with peanuts) would appear on the menu.

Xiang said that there would be no religious segregation, such as a special Muslim canteen, in the Olympic Village. "The International Olympic Committee has suggested to BOCOG that the Games' spirit of sharing and harmony should surpass religious distinctions," said Xiang.She said the menu would designate special dishes for athletes with religious dietary requirements.

December 14, 2007

A new "bionic ball" being tested at the Club World Cup in Japan could soon be a regular feature at FIFA tournaments, its developers said on Thursday.The technology, involving magnetic sensors that determine if the micro-chipped ball has crossed the goal line, has worked well so far, according to co-designers adidas and Cairos.The developers added that feedback from the players at the seven-team competition had been positive."We are very satisfied," adidas's chief of FIFA Affairs Gunter Pfau told a news conference in Tokyo to demonstrate the ball's qualities. "No ball was damaged. All the systems have worked."An implanted microchip sends an instant signal to the referee's wristwatch to indicate if the whole of the ball has crossed the line.

Athletes will be able to use traditional Chinese medicines at next year's Olympics without risking positive dope tests if they take basic precautions, a Beijing organising committee (BOCOG) official said on Tuesday.

Dr. Dai Jianping, who state media quoted last week as saying traditional medicines would not be used, said all Chinese drugs were subject to the same regulatory standards as those from the West."There is no direct relation between Chinese traditional herbal medicine and doping," Dai, who is responsible for medical services at the Games, told reporters."It has been around for several thousand years and is very healthy for the body. Like Western medicines it can protect the body. It would be like saying vitamin C is a kind of doping."Dai said China's drug administration had to approve all traditional medicines and, as in other countries, the ingredients were analysed and listed on packaging."After the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announces the banned list, we select those that can be used and those that can't," he said.

Chinese coach Ma Junren, whose long-distance runners broke several world records in the early 1990s, said his charges used traditional products such as turtle blood to help them achieve their fast times.